They said that the demographics were wrong and it would never make it, said Whitaker.

When working for chain eatery Victoria Station, which would refurbish old box cars as restaurant locations, Whitaker stumbled upon the Lambertville Station property and asked his company if they would be interested in buying it. READ: 11 places where your meal comes with a great view on the side “We have a platform dining area which is all glass-enclosed and has a beautiful view of the canal.” “I let the architecture speak for itself,” Whitaker said of the 250-seat restaurant. However, ever since he opened the eatery alongside partners Rose DiMarco Carbonara and Skip DiMarco in 1980, it’s been a bustling American eatery with one of the best views in town of the Delaware River.ĭiners can enjoy dishes such as Chesapeake-style colossal lump crab cakes, French onion soup and lamb porterhouse inside the circa-1867 building, which once served as the headquarters of the Belvidere division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. When Danny Whitaker stumbled upon the abandoned train station in Lambertville in 1972, it had been vacant for 20 years. Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn, Lambertville We top the whole thing with a second layer of crushed graham crackers and, finally, drizzle chocolate syrup everywhere, just for fun.' We take one of our homemade, fresh Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate brownies and place it on a bed of crushed graham crackers, cover it with marshmallows, then slowly roast it to achieve that perfect fireside golden brown. 'The dessert is inspired by your typical s’more –graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows,' said Mark Collins, an owner and general manager. More: NJ restaurants: 13 new restaurants at the Jersey Shoreįinally, there's The Jersey S'more. The whole thing then goes into the oven until the cheese is nice and melted. 'Ask for the cowboy burger and you'll be back the next day for another one!' shared a fan of the dish, a burger topped with barbecue sauce, bacon, cheddar and frizzled onions.Īnother favorite is the reuben, a nod to the 12-year-old restaurant's roots as an Irish pub (it now serves a mix of Irish and American dishes). The sandwich starts with toasted rye bread and a touch of Thousand Island dressing, then thinly sliced, slow-cooked corned beef, grilled sauerkraut and Swiss cheese are piled on. The Irish Rail may be a stop on New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line – the restaurant is adjacent to the Manasquan Train Station – but locals love it for its half-pound burgers. Go: 275 Bellevue Ave., Upper Montclair 97, The Irish Rail, Manasquan But Malki's signature dish is sweet, savory dates wrapped in bacon and smothered with gorgonzola and almonds ($8). Dishes include pear flatbread with bacon, blue cheese and arugula ($11), cavatelli puttanesca with anchovies, capers and olives in a tomato sauce ($17), and scallops served with lemon thyme infused with veloute, salt cod potato brandade and sauteed garlic broccolini ($25).

More: Dine with amazing views at these 13 New Jersey restaurants Owner and Montclair restaurateur Demetri Malki (D'metri's, TABLE 8) modeled it after the casual, family pubs he dined at in Europe. With rustic decor, warm Edison bulbs and a ceiling covered completely in wine corks, De Novo is a slightly elevated version of a pub. We expect that quite a few people arrive an hour early to their trains leaving from Upper Montclair station just to dine at its restaurant-in-residence De Novo.

Rails steakhouse wine cave